Unique program gives some students a taste of college for free

Jefferson County Public School students start their first day Tuesday, but on Monday, 19 Western High School students got a head start inside of a college classroom at Jefferson Community and Technical College.

The Western High junior is practically a college student. She, along with 18 of her high school classmates will be spending the rest of the school year on campus, Monday through Thursday, taking college courses full-time alongside other college students.

“(This is a) powerful motivator for our students to recognize that college is not only an opportunity, but a reality for them,” said Western Principal Michael Newman.

Few Western High students go off to college, but through this program, they go for free.

All their books are provided through a grant and they have academic support on hand at the high school.

Students have the opportunity to finish up to 60 college credit hours, which is an associate's degree.

For Brown, this is a step in the right direction. After she finishes up classes for free at JCTC, she wants to go to Stanford and become a forensic scientist.

All the students will finish up every day just before noon and then they'll hop on a bus that will take them back to Western High for lunch. All the students currently enrolled will be there for both the fall and spring semesters.

The program is unique to Western. It is the only one in the area that gives high school students the opportunity to go to college full-time.

Students' GPAs and attendance are checked and if certain criteria is not met, there are consequences.

Western also has a similar program for freshman and sophomores, where college courses are taught at the high school, rather than on a college campus.

SOME JEFFERSON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE GETTING COLLEGE EXPERIENCE... BEFORE THEIR GRADUATION. IT'S ALL THROUGH A UNIQUE PROGRAM. W-L-K-Y'S ERICA COGHILL HAS THE STORY. LAUNI BROWN'S GETTING MORE THAN JUST A GLIMPSE OF COLLEGE LIFE. THE WESTERN HIGH JUNIOR IS PRACTICALLY A COLLEGE STUDENT... SHE, ALONG WITH EIGHTEEN OF HER HIGH- SCHOOL CLASSMATES WILL BE SPENDING THE REST OF THE SCHOOL YEAR ON J-C- T-S' CAMPUS, MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY, TAKING COLLEGE COURSES FULL-TIME ALONG-SIDE OTHER COLLEGE STUDENTS. FEW WESTERN HIGH STUDENTS GO-OFF TO COLLEGE... BUT THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, THEY GO FOR FREE... ALL THEIR BOOKS ARE PAID-FOR THROUGH A GRANT AND THEY HAVE ACADEMIC SUPPORT ON-HAND AT THE HIGH-SCHOOL. STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FINISH UP-TO SIXTY COLLEGE CREDIT HOURS... WHICH IS AN ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE. FOR BROWN, THIS IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION... AFTER SHE FINISHES UP CLASSES FOR-FREE HERE...SHE WANTS TO GO TO STANFORD AND STUDY TO BECOME A FORENSIC SCIENTIST. CERTAIN G-P-A AND ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS. WESTERN ALSO OFFERS COLLEGE COURSES FOR FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES... BUT THOSE CLASSES ARE HELD AT THE SCHOOL... NOT J-C-T-C.